A process for making single-wall carbon nanotubes with a pulsed arc molecular beam deposition process.
A substantial amount of work has been done regarding the generation of and properties of single-walled nanotube structures. Thus, by way of illustration, in article by T. Sugai et al. appearing in the Journal of Chemical Physics, Volume 112, 6000 (2000), a process was disclosed in which single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes were produced by thermally heating fullerenes in the presence of a nickel catalyst. In the process of this article, non-uniform results were often obtained from experiment to experiment, and poor yields of the single-walled nanotubes were obtained. Additionally, to the extent that single-walled nanotubes were produced, they were often contaminated with metal catalyst.
To the best of applicants"" knowledge, the prior art does not provide a process for high volume production of a pristine, single-walled carbon nanotubes which is reliable and reproducible. It is an object of this invention to provide such a process.
In accordance with this process, there is provided a process for making a substantially pure single-walled carbon nanotube comprising the steps of subjecting fullerenes to a temperature of at least about 10,000 degrees Celsius to produce gaseous fullerenes and gaseous fullerene fragments, and contacting said gaseous fullerenes and gaseous fullerene fragments with a gaseous hydrocarbon feedstock and gaseous metal-containing catalyst.